What happens when you grow up

Chapter 20

Twelve years ago…

Tigerlily crept closer to the dancing light—the fairy—as her excitement rose. She had seen plenty of fairies in her life, but this one was different. This one glowed particularly bright, with a dazzling white light more pure and radiant than any other fairy she'd seen. And that could only mean one thing: it was Prince Cornelius.

Prince Cornelius, crown prince of the fairy kingdom, was a legend in Neverland because of his bravery and valor—not to mention his famous sense of humor and infamous practical jokes. The fairy had nearly started several wars among different groups when some of those jokes went a little too far, but he was always able to repair the damage thanks to his irresistible charm and plain-hearted goodness.

Tigerlily had only seen him once, several years ago. He wasn't as shy as most fairies; he rather enjoyed the spotlight. But even he was wise enough to obey King Leonidas—his father—when it came to going out in the open, especially after what Blackbeard had done.

Now, as Tigerlily recognized just who this fairy was, she rushed forward, pulling at the porthole's frame impatiently. It opened with a soft pop, and Prince Cornelius swept into the room. His light was so bright, the entire area was illuminated, and white sparkles covered the walls and ceiling. Tigerlily had to squint until her eyes grew accustomed.

Proper protocol would have required a greeting with restraint and decorum, but Tigerlily didn't have time for that. Instead, she reached out her hand towards the fairy. "Your highness! Thank God you're here!"

Prince Cornelius dropped into Tigerlily's hand. He was only six inches tall, but Tigerlily could still make out his regal features. All fairies were beautiful, but Cornelius was perhaps the most beautiful of all. His hair was a dark reddish blonde, nearly auburn, and he had an impish grin that surely had melted the hearts of many female fairies. But it was his eyes that demanded the most attention—those clear, piercing blue eyes that seemed to see into your very soul.

Those eyes gazed up at Tigerlily now, and they were filled with joy—and concern. He answered her in the language of the fairies, a language that sounded like tinkling bells to most humans. But Tigerlily's people had learned to understand it long ago.

"Princess!" he called. "I've been looking for you for weeks! As soon as you went missing, we began searching for you. We searched everywhere on the island. I feel terrible that it took so long to find you, but for a long time, we were thrown off because of Little Wolf…" His voice trailed off forlornly. "We thought that you, too, had perished. And we spent most of our efforts searching for a body, not a living girl."

"It's all right, it's all right," Tigerlily said quickly, determined not to let terrible memories ruin the day's joy. "All that matters is that you're here!" She looked around eagerly. "Where are the others?"

The prince hesitated. "There are no others," he finally admitted, a little sheepishly. "Truthfully, I shouldn't be here either. We were forbidden from visiting the quarry. My father said it was too dangerous. But I had to check here!" Cornelius floated up a few inches in his excitement. "I couldn't sleep knowing there may be some chance that you were alive, no matter how dangerous it was." He twirled around, even more excited—and not just a little proud of himself. "And I was right! Just wait 'til I tell the others! We'll get you out of here in no time… Blackbeard will never know what hit him!"

Tigerlily felt like twirling around herself—of bouncing off the walls and screaming and laughing for joy. Someone knew she was here!

"I'll go back and tell them now!" Cornelius cried, flitting towards the door.

Even as she rejoiced, Tigerlily was seized with a terrible sense of foreboding as she imagined the fairies' rescue attempt, which would certainly include members of her tribe as well. She had no doubt that they would be successful, but she dreaded to think about all the humans and fairies that would inevitably die in the process. Blackbeard and his men were fierce and armed with all manner of weapons. There was no way the attempt would be bloodless.

So, although her heart rebelled against her, she forced herself to call out, "Wait!"

The prince stopped, turning around and hovering in midair as he looked at her questioningly. "What is it?"

Tigerlily suddenly felt very unsure of herself, and very underprepared, and very overwhelmed. So she decided to do the simplest thing first. "You should meet Mary."

"Who's Mary?"

"You'll see," she promised, heading down the hallway back to Mary's room. Cornelius followed expectantly.

Tigerlily rapped on the door, letting Mary know who it was, and Mary opened it immediately. She squinted against Cornelius's light, putting up a hand to shield her eyes.

"What on earth?" she asked.

Tigerlily pushed past her and carried Cornelius into the room, closing the door behind her protectively. "Mary," she said, holding up their new visitor, "this is Prince Cornelius from the Fairy Kingdom."

"A fairy!" Mary breathed, creeping closer. "I've heard so many stories about them, but I've never seen one myself!"

Cornelius leapt off Tigerlily's hand, flying several quick circles around Mary and filling the room with the sound of excitedly clamoring bells.

"What's he saying?" Mary asked.

Tigerlily laughed. "He said that you're the most beautiful human he's ever seen."

Mary blushed, which only made her look more becoming. "He's… he's rather handsome, too," she whispered, then her eyes widened in embarrassment. "Can he understand that?"

Cornelius dropped down on Mary's shoulder and chimed even more excitedly. The answer was obvious.

"Prince Cornelius told me that the fairies have been looking for me all this time," Tigerlily explained quickly. "And he wants to bring all of them back to rescue us."

"Oh, how wonderful!" Mary exclaimed. Her face fell almost immediately, considering the same thing Tigerlily had. "But what if they get hurt?"

More bells, somehow more boisterous and swaggering than before.

"Prince Cornelius says they're more than a match for the pirates," Tigerlily translated. "But… I'd really hate for any of the fairies to get hurt. Or any of my tribe."

"Maybe we should stick with our escape plan," Mary suggested, and Tigerlily was grateful that they were in agreement.

Now the bells were questioning.

"We have a whole plan," Tigerlily explained to the fairy prince, and she outlined it quickly. She could tell that the prince was agreeable immediately, most likely because he thought the whole thing would be a jolly fun adventure—and would give him a chance to antagonize some pirates. The only thing he thought they should change was how they stole the antidote, and he had a good point: now that he was here, there was no need for Tigerlily to make the dangerous climb up the side of the ship. He could simply fly up and steal the case himself.

"But he's so bright," Mary protested. "I'm afraid he'll be seen. I'm amazed no one saw him earlier."

More bells.

"He says he'll be careful," Tigerlily relayed back. "He says he could cover himself with soot or dirt. I'll take him back to my cell and he can use some of the dirt in there."

Carefully, she carried Cornelius back to the door, pushing it open behind her as she said goodbye to Mary—and Cornelius chimed a very charming goodbye as well. She stepped into the hallway and turned to head back down the corridor.

That's when rough hands grabbed her from behind and yanked her to the side. She lost her grip on Cornelius, who tumbled into the open air. At the same time, a tarp dropped over him and trapped his flailing form under its weight.

Above the din, Blackbeard's smooth voice rang out triumphantly. "Well, mates, it looks like we've caught ourselves a fairy!"